The Chief staff brought home a total of sixty three awards at the Long Island Press High School Journalism and Awards ceremony at Hofstra University on Wednesday, May 22. In addition to an impressive number of first, second, and third place awards, The Chief won second place for Newspaper of the Year, and Connor McMillan won third place for Story of the Year for his article, “The 1950’s shooting at MHS: rumor confirmed.” Joe Zappa, senior and Editor-In-Chief, received an honorable mention for Student Journalist of the Year.
These awards reflect the the overall quality of the high school newspaper as well as the hard work of the individual students and the advisor, Mrs. Elyn Coyle. The Long Island Press hopes that this recognition will both motivate and excite students who are interested in journalism.
Members of The Chief received a good workout by the end of the night as they were constantly walking up to the stage to accept their awards. On top of winning second place for Newspaper of the Year and third place for Story of the Year, The Chief took home seventeen first place awards, thirteen second place awards, twenty third place awards, and fourteen honorable mentions.
The Chief also placed first in the Reporting Hurricane Sandy category for their entry, “Voices of the Storm,” with contributions from Mrs. Tonn’s composition class. Furthermore, The Chief received second place for its news site, TheChiefOnline.com, and an honorable mention for its Sports Special Section. Massapequa students swept the Online Arts & Entertainment, Online Feature, and Online Editorial categories. More than twenty five students received accolades for their work.
The number of awards that The Chief brought home this year alone surpasses the number of awards won in previous years combined. Members of The Chief feel very honored and grateful to receive these prestigious awards.